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TILIKUM, AN ORCA that killed a trainer at SeaWorld Orlando in 2010, has died.
The whale was profiled in Blackfish, a 2013 documentary that helped sway popular opinion against keeping killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld parks.
SeaWorld officials said today that Tilikum died but did not give a cause of death.
In a statement, they said Tilikum had faced serious health issues including a persistent and complicated bacterial lung infection. He was estimated to be 36 years old. A necropsy will be performed, according to the statement.
The 2010 death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau during a performance with Tilikum after a Dine with Shamu show shocked the public and changed the future of orcas at SeaWorld parks.
Brancheau was interacting with Tilikum before a live audience at SeaWorld Orlando when he pulled her from a platform by her arm and held her underwater. An autopsy report said Brancheau drowned but also suffered severe trauma, including multiple fractures.
SeaWorld Entertainment officials announced in March 2016 that the tourist attraction would end its orca breeding programme and theatrical shows involving killer whales.
While the breeding programme continued, Tilikum was SeaWorld’s most prolific male orca, siring 14 calves during his time at SeaWorld Orlando. He arrived at the park about 25 years ago.
He was noticeable for his size at more than 22 feet and 11,800 pounds.
“Tilikum had, and will continue to have, a special place in the hearts of the SeaWorld family, as well as the millions of people all over the world that he inspired,” SeaWorld President and CEO Joel Manby said.
My heart goes out to our team who cared for him like family.
Tilikum was born off the waters of Iceland and moved to Sealand of the Pacific in Canada after being captured. While at Sealand in 1992, Tilikum and two female orcas were responsible for the death of a part-time trainer who slipped and fell into their pool and was submerged by them.
Tilikum was moved to SeaWorld Orlando a short time later, and Sealand later closed.
Blackfish
The decision to end the SeaWorld breeding programme and theatrical shows came six years after Brancheau’s death and three years after the release of the documentary, Blackfish, which chronicled Tilikum’s life and Brancheau’s death.
Her death was not the only one linked to Tillikum at SeaWorld. In 1999, a naked man who had eluded security and snuck into SeaWorld at night was found dead the next morning draped over Tilikum in a breeding tank in the back of Shamu Stadium.
The Blackfish documentary argued that killer whales, when in captivity, become more aggressive toward humans and each other. After the documentary played at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on CNN, several entertainers pulled out of planned performances at SeaWorld parks and animal rights activists increased their demonstrations outside the parks.
Attendance at SeaWorld parks dipped, the company faced falling profits and Southwest Airlines ended its 25-year relationship with the theme park company.
In March, the SeaWorld CEO acknowledged that the public’s attitude had changed about keeping killer whales captive and that the company would end its orca breeding programme.
“We needed to move where society was moving,” Manby said.
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Greenhouse gas emissions increase in Ireland is also because of a significant increase in population caused by immigration.
@Damian Moylan: yeah Irish people are carbon neutral those foreigners coming over here with there c02 it’s a disgrace!!
@Damian Moylan: thanks for sharing your feelings. Anything to back them up?
@Damian Moylan: I have never commented on immigration on this site.. but that has to be one of the most stupid things I’ve ever read on the journal, andthatsayssomething. Not surprising that it’s gotten so many likes, we are not short of imbeciles. But I wanted to let you know that you have achieved something really special today.
@: I agree that @Damien Moylan’s comment is badly worded but are you saying that an increase in population will have no effect on us trying to meet the targets that are based on a much lower population baseline figure. Regardless of whether the increase is due to returning Irish, refugees, international protection applicants or people arriving through work/student visas it will have an effect. We all (regardless of where or how we live) use energy, consume food, create waste etc so naturally more people in the country will make it harder to reach the targets set.
Both extreemes, whether they are far right nutjobs or far left open border nut jobs, are disingenuous with the information they provide but an increase in population is going to have an effect on demand for housing, energy etc regardless of the reasons as to why the population has grown.
@Damian Moylan: fair point but it has no argument when you think of the cycle lanes being installed around the country that’ll offset even double the population and probably solve the housing crisis aswel thousands entering the country couldn’t possibly effect the likes of that
Farmers need to move on.Our lakes and rivers need to be cleaned up for future generations.Expensive nitrogen can be replaced by rewarding biodiversity projects.Placing pickets on FFG think ins wont gain any sympathy.And yes I am a farmer myself.
@Willie Marty: If only there were a network of biodigesters around the country to take in excess slurry – like they have in other juristictions including N.I. providing the country with additional power. Its such a pity there arent some forward thinking greens in power …..
@Mindful Muinteoir: biodigesters are not the solution from an environmental point of view.
@Mindful Muinteoir: that would wirk wonderfully if farmers kept the cows inside year in year out , and imported feed from other farms/ countries
But irish farmers tend to graze the cows , which is far better environmentally than chucking them in a shed year round ,
And bio-digesters arent always exactly great environmentally – They dobt run great on just ag waste ,so you need to grow crops. And the biggest issue is transporting feedstock to them , and waste away. A lot of fuel used
If farmers decrease production by 13% then other Eu countries will have to import that 13% from other countries like New Zealand which increases global emissions.
@Damian Moylan: so if Ireland stops making beef, the only other country to buy it from would be New Zealand would it?
@Damian Moylan: or people can reduce the amount of meat and dairy they consume.
@Damian Moylan: Then we might cut exports by 13%. We export a lot of beef and dairy products – you can get Kerrygold pretty much everywhere.
It’s going to be hard to expect Farmers to abide by Rules, when they won’t even put lights on their Tractor Trailers, and why do Farmers expect to get subsidies to do everything, if Rules and Standards are put in place or changed for normal Buisness be they big or small no compensation is given to meet those changes. For example Garages had to abide by new Rules for used Tyre, Oil and Paint disposal that cost Thousands to implement and run, yet no compensation was given by Government/EU.
Land is Ireland is highly suitable for farming given our climate / weather. Ireland produces food other countries cannot and exports most of it. The idea of not using the land optimally seems illogical.
@Damian Moylan: The idea of overusing the land and wrecking our biodiversity is even less logical.
I see the author highlights Irelands low excess death rate during the pandemic as a measure of success albeit the worlds longest and most restrictive lockdown can easily bring such results,surely the surge in excess deaths this year and last must be alarming to these same people who can use these stats as a measure of success,Waterford top of the list-the highest vaxxed on earth
@Shane Doyle: Ireland had neither the longest or the most restrictive ‘lockdown’. Please don’t tell fibs.
@Tom Dillon: Really? Summer 2021 when the majority of europe and UK allowed people dine indoors, we still made everyone stay outside and by the time we did allow indoor dining it was too late and the weather had changed and covid started increasing…..how many countries made people spend 9 euro to eat indoors, or told young people who didnt get vaccinated they could serve people in restaurants they worked in who had been vaccinated but couldnt sit down and eat themselves. The stupid train went off the tracks with some of the “measures” we had and the fact many want us to pretend it was all great and a success is like FF saying handing us over to the IMF to bailout the banks back in 2008 didnt cause any real pain
@Tom Dillon: ya got me Tom china beat us ..we must have dreamt it all up..did we even lockdown
If I were a farmer I think I’d be delighted to have the opportunity to restore the natural world around me. Of course I’d be worried about my family and livelihood too, so compensation would put that worry to bed. I don’t think anyone, farmers included, wants the biodiversity and climate crises to worsen. We need a pragmatic solution that addresses farmer worries, but that primarily ensure we are not destroying our island home for our children.
So we are gonna make the farmers in europe go green but ignore the fact that the EU is literally doing deals with south america to import beef and the rainforests are being cut down over there to make way for it…..Its like eamon ryan telling people to use cars less, while he posed for pics in china while flying business class for his annual paddys week juncket. Hypocrisy knows no bounds
Why does Ireland pick up the tab for bad business decisions, just coz it’s the farmers? What other sector gets so well compensated for its fk ups?
@Chutes: Banking, Insurance, Public Service, need we go on listing…
Hahahaha
Love it when people joke about the Irish being able to govern competently.
The Irish way is to drive the farmers into poverty, so that rest of the Irish hate them for being poor. And of course the Dubs hate them already, because they’re from not-Dublin.
@Chris O’Brien: You should try visiting Ireland sometime and meet the people.
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